Trump ramps up pressure: US could deport half a million Haitian migrants
Photo: Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem (Getty Images)
The United States is ending migration programs for countries in crisis. Haitian citizens may face deportation this fall, Reuters reports.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has decided to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that TPS protections for approximately 521,000 Haitians will end on September 2, 2025. Earlier this year, she had already shortened the duration of the program and declared an end to TPS for around 350,000 Venezuelans, as well as several thousand citizens of Afghanistan and Cameroon.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that current conditions in Haiti allow for the safe return of its citizens, though it did not specify which factors indicate improvement.
Human rights organizations, however, stress that the humanitarian situation in Haiti remains critical. Nationwide elections have not been held since 2016, and the capital, Port-au-Prince, is under the de facto control of armed groups.
Despite this, the Trump administration has suspended previously promised funding for the UN mission in Haiti.
The decision concerning Haitian citizens comes amid a broader crackdown on immigration by the Trump administration, aimed at restricting both illegal and legal immigration into the United States.
On May 19, the US Supreme Court authorized the administration to revoke TPS for Venezuelan nationals. On May 30, the Court issued a separate decision granting the right to immediately terminate other humanitarian status — parole — for citizens of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
TPS is a humanitarian program established by the US Congress in 1990, offering temporary protection to individuals from countries affected by natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other extraordinary conditions.
Under US law, the Secretary of Homeland Security must decide whether to extend, redesignate, or terminate TPS two months before it expires.
Trump's migration policy
After Donald Trump took office as President of the United States, a large-scale immigration campaign was launched, as part of which the authorities began to actively expand the boundaries of current legislation, increasing the pace of detentions and expulsions of illegal migrants.
The first planes with deportees, mostly to Latin American countries, left the United States in late January.
On March 23, the United States resumed deportations of Venezuelan citizens after reaching an agreement between the two countries.
In addition, the Trump administration is using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as a legal basis for the expulsion of foreigners suspected of involvement in criminal groups.
Earlier, it was reported that the Trump administration plans to impose fines on migrants who fail to leave the United States after a court issues a deportation order.
Media outlets also reported that undocumented migrants might be housed at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay. However, the White House has denied this information.
